How to make Easy Korean Chicken with Cucumber Stir-fry

by Holly Beyondkimchee on Wed, Jul 20, 2016

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I like to make simple dishes during summer time. Quick to make with a ton of flavor, this chicken and cucumber stir-fry is a dish that you're gonna love.

Surprisingly, cucumber is great to stir-fry. It becomes more crunchy than raw cucumber and it adds lightness to the dish. You can use beef or pork instead of chicken for this recipe. They are equally good.

All you need is some chicken breast, cucumber, red chili(optional) green onion, soy sauce, Korean soy sauce for soup (gook-ganjang, 국간장), garlic, sugar, and sesame oil. This is light yet flavorful dish that fits perfect in hot summer days. So if you have a plenty of cucumber, no need to think twice. Use it up for this recipe for a simple meal.

I recommend to use English cucumber or Kirby cucumber for this dish since their skins are much softer to eat as is. If your cucumber skin is thick and waxy, peel a few strips off from the skin. That would be good to start with.

You can easily double or triple the recipe depends on your need.

Cut the cucumber in half length-wise, then scoop off the seeded center with a spoon. Slice the cucumber thinly, about 1/8-inch thick.

Sprinkle a few pinches of salt and toss well. Let it sit for 10 minutes until they loose its moisture and slightly soft.

Slice red chili, green onion, and chop garlic. You can skip the red chili if you don't want any spiciness.

Meanwhile combine diced chicken with garlic, soy sauces, chili, sesame oil, sugar, and pepper. Toss well and set aside for a few minutes.

Gently squeeze out the cucumber to remove extra moisture. Discard all the juice remained in a bowl.

Heat a little bit of oil in a skillet and stir-fry the chicken until fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Add a little amount of oil to the same skillet and stir-fry cucumber for 1-2 minutes only.

Return the chicken to the skillet and add the green onion. Stir-fry to heat through everything and well combined.

Done! It should take about 5-6 minutes for stir-frying. With the prep time, it will take about 20 minutes the most. How easy is that?

This is quick and easy dish perfect for summer!

Serve with a bowl of rice and your simple yet satisfying meal is good to go. Hope you can give this recipe a shot. You won't regret it.

~ Holly

Korean Chicken and Cucumber Stir-Fry

serves 4

Ingredients

2 chicken breast halves, sliced thinly into bite size

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cucumbers, seeded and sliced thinly

2 red chili, seeded and sliced

1-1/2 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoon Korean soy sauce for soup

1-1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoon sugar

2 garlic clove, finely minced

dash black pepper

2 green onion, finely chopped

Directions:

Place cucumber slices in a bowl and add the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes.